1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of bedding, and to the particular field of therapeutic mattresses for medical beds.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Bed-ridden patients often encounter problems, especially if the patient is bed-ridden for long periods. One common problem includes the development of pressure ulcers, localized areas of tissue necrosis that occur when soft tissue is pressed between bony prominence and external surface for an extended period of time. Skin is broken down due to friction, moisture, pressure, or shearing forces. Blood flow to underlying tissue is interrupted. Some mattresses and bed units can cause some part of a pressure-ulcer related problem. In such instances, an entire mattress may have to be replaced.
While some therapeutic mattresses relieve some of the pressure-ulcer related problems by preventing bedding from having undisturbed contact with a patient, these units do not completely solve the problem, and they can be heavy and expensive. The caregiver may have to periodically move the patient, but this may require a health care worker who is able to lift the patient. This may be difficult and awkward for the health care worker, and uncomfortable and inconvenient for the patient, and costly for the patient""s loved ones.
Therefore, there is a need for a bed unit that can reduce the possibility of a patient developing and exacerbating bed sores on the areas of his or her body that contact the mattress or a covering on a mattress.
Many health care facilities suffer from a significant shortage of help, and help that is on duty is often rushed and harried. This help must place priorities on many tasks. For example, changing a mattress or bedding may have to wait until other tasks are completed. This procedure may make efficient use of health care worker time, but it may place a hardship on some patients.
Still further, if a patient soils his or her bed, the bed must be changed. Again, if a hospital is short staffed, a soiled bed may not be cleaned or replaced as quickly as needed. This is especially so if the entire mattress unit must be replaced. Replacing an entire mattress unit may take more than one worker thus requiring a patient to wait until multiple workers are available. This not only inconveniences the patient, it adds further work for the staff.
Simply making up beds in a health care facility can be a major undertaking. A short-staffed health care facility may not make or re-make beds as often as it would like due to a need to efficiently allocate staff resources. In some cases, the difficulty in changing a bed causes the staff to delay changing a bed for as long as possible. Thus, some beds may not be remade as often as they should be. An easily changed bed may encourage staff to change a bed more often. Often, a bed with a patient is made and re-made. Unmaking and then remaking a bed with a patient still in it is often difficult for both the patient and for the worker.
Therefore, there is a need for a bed unit that can be efficiently cared for. Still further, there is a need for a bed unit in which the bed can be unmade and then remade in an efficient manner and with the least amount of disturbance to the patient.
Still further, if a patient needs a bedpan, that patient must request the bedpan, be lifted to permit the bedpan to be placed in position, and then again request assistance to remove the bedpan and be lifted again to allow removal of the bedpan. The health care staff is thus required to accomplish several tasks each time a patient requires a bedpan. This problem is particularly severe if the patient is suffering from diarrhea. A bedpan may also be very uncomfortable to use, and may not be left in place. This requires many trips to the patient""s bedside by the health care staff, who also risk back injuries during the repeated lifting of the patients. The staff also risks dropping patients on the floor if they must take them to the bathroom, or lift them into a potty chair, which may result in patient injuries.
Therefore, there is a need for a bed unit which can accommodate a bedpan in a manner that is comfortable for the patient and convenient and efficient for the health care staff.
Many patients require a periodic change in mattresses. Changing a bed, and especially a mattress, may require the services of several health care workers. Furthermore, changing a mattress may be inconvenient and uncomfortable for a patient.
Therefore, there is a need for a bed unit that permits efficient changing of a mattress and keeps a patient comfortable while the mattress is being changed.
Many mattresses become worn after prolonged use. Such mattresses must be replaced. However, the inventor has noticed that many mattresses do not become totally worn before they must be entirely replaced. That is, a mattress may become worn near a central area of the mattress but not become worn at the sides and ends of the mattress. However, present mattresses, while still relatively unworn in most areas must be entirely replaced because a small area of the mattress has become worn. This is expensive and time consuming.
Therefore, there is a need for a mattress that need not be entirely replaced if only a selected portion thereof is worn and the remaining parts of the mattress are not worn.
Not all patients are alike. Some are short, some are tall, some are heavy, some are light, and so forth. Even a single patient may have needs for different mattress characteristics for different sections of his or her body. However, presently available non-therapeutic hospital mattresses are generally quite uniform in design. Presently available mattresses cannot meet particular needs of an individual patient because the mattresses are generally uniformly produced and designed for the way patients are expected to be and not necessarily for the way a particular patient actually is. Therefore, there is a need for a mattress unit that can be customized for a particular patient""s size, shape, and needs.
Some patients require application of heat or cold to portions of their body. Presently, a patient requiring a cold pack has such a pack attached to his body. This may be uncomfortable, especially if the patient is required to lie in a particular position for a long period of time and cannot move due to the pack attached to his body.
Therefore, there is a need for a mattress unit that can apply heat or cold to a patient in a comfortable and convenient manner.
Some hospital beds can move to allow a patient to sit up. Any mattress used on such beds must be able to accommodate such bed movement. In some cases, the mattress may be expensive and difficult to move.
Therefore, there is a need for a mattress that can be used in conjunction with a movable hospital bed that is easily moved and is inexpensive as compared to presently available mattresses.
Still further, the laundering of bedding used on hospital beds can be an expensive and difficult process because the sheets may be large and cumbersome. Therefore, there is a need for a mattress system in which bedding is easily and efficiently launderable.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that is versatile.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that can be customized for a particular patient""s needs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that can reduce the possibility of a patient developing and exacerbating pressure ulcers on the areas of his or her body that contact the mattress or a covering on a mattress.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that can be efficiently cared for.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit which can accommodate a bedpan in a manner that is comfortable and dignified for the patient and convenient and efficient for the health care staff.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that permits efficient changing of a mattress and keeps a patient comfortable while the mattress is being changed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that need not be entirely replaced if only a selected portion thereof is worn and the remaining parts of the mattress are not worn.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that can apply heat or cold to a patient in a comfortable manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit that can be used in conjunction with a movable hospital bed that is easily moved and inexpensive as compared to presently available mattresses.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress unit in which any bedding associated with the mattress unit is easily launderable.
These and other objectives are achieved by a mattress system that contains a multiplicity of separate self-contained mattress modules which can be moved, removed and replaced as required to customize or service the mattress.
For example, if a patient needs more support in one area than in other areas, the module supporting the area needing more support can be replaced with a less worn module, and so forth. Further, if a patient needs a bedpan, a module can be removed to make accessible the bedpan, directly underneath, without removing the patient from the bed. Still further, mattress modules may be removed in an effort to either prevent pressure ulcers or to allow pressure ulcers to heal.
The mattress can thus be serviced in only the areas necessary and the entire mattress need not be replaced every time service is needed. If the patient soils a mattress, only the soiled portions of the mattress need be replaced making it much easier on both the patient and the health care staff or home caregiver.
If a patient develops a need for the application of heat or cold, a module of the mattress can be removed and a flat, rectangular hot or cold gel pack placed onto the mattress section, beneath its fitted sheet. As the gel pack heats or cools, a new gel pack can simply replace the previous pack thereby keeping the patient comfortable.
Still further, the mattress modules of the present invention are much smaller than presently available mattresses. Thus, any sheets used on the mattress modules will be small as compared to presently available sheets. Laundering small sheets would be easier than laundering the large sheets presently used.